It's a cash mob. Recently in the Tremont area of Cleveland, about forty people gathered on a street corner, to hear organizer Andrew Samtoy explain the concept.
"We're here to support community businesses," began Samtoy, "Owned by people that live in the community. Who employ our neighbors and friends and our family members from the community. And when sun goes down, and their doors close, they don't take that money and bring it to other cities or states or countries. They keep it here, in the community. And I think that's what we're all here to support."
Participants exclaimed "Amen, brother!" and cheers.
"What we're doing is putting a little bit of stimulus back into community," resumed Samtoy. "And even if we don't solve all of the problems of these businesses that we're going to mob? We're at least going to have a little impact."
Samtoy and the cash mob then marched down the street to Visible Voice Books, with $20 bills in hand.
Within minutes, the bookstore's check-out counter was manned by four people, catering to an evening crowd they said was four times bigger than normal. The Visible Voice's owner, David Ferrante, says this event touched him on several levels.
"On one level you've got the situation where you've got people taking the idea of a cash mob, or mob, which is, in this town has some negative connotations attached to it and they're turning it around into a positive thing,: said Ferrante. "But the underlying piece of it is, exposure for independent, non-corporate operation… because the mom and pop shops like this, it really adds to the diversity of the city and neighborhood. It's a great opportunity for the store. It's great. It exposes it to a lot of people who've never been in here before, and hopefully they come back again after they get a taste of it for the first time."
While $20 was the set amount to spend, no one was limited to that. Cynthia Boncella was happy with her take: a copy of The American Nerd and another book titled The Marriage Plot. Her purchase came to roughly $44.00.
Organizers plan to stage another cash mob in Cleveland next month. And they say people in San Diego, Houston, Cincinnati, and even London have contacted them, asking how they can set up cash mobs in their own cities.